Fieger grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit, Michigan, the son of June Beth and Bernard Julian Fieger. Fieger's father was Jewish, and his mother was of Norwegian descent. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1976 and his J.D. from the Detroit College of Law in 1979. Fieger is the older brother of the late Doug Fieger, lead vocalist of the late-'70s/early-'80s rock group The Knack, best known for their hit song "My Sharona" in 1979. Fieger and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and live in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Legal career
Fieger has been involved with a variety of high-profile or controversial cases. In 1994, he represented Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the first of several doctor-assisted suicide trials. Kevorkian was acquitted in that trial and all subsequent trials where Fieger represented him. These events were made into a movie, You Don't Know Jack, aired on HBO, in which Fieger was portrayed by actor Danny Huston. Other notable clients and cases include:
Nathaniel Abraham, charged with the 1997 shooting death of Ronnie Green, Jr. in Pontiac. Abraham, who was tried as an adult, was convicted of the crime in 1999, and released from prison in 2007.
Ralf Panitz, accused of killing his ex-wife Nancy Campbell-Panitz in July 2000, following their appearance along with Panitz's new wife, on a segment of The Jerry Springer Show. Panitz was convicted in 2002
Robert Turner, a 6-year-old boy, whose 911 call to the City of Detroit was allegedly not taken seriously, resulting in the death of Turner's mother, Sherrill
Lorraine Hayes, shot in the head and chest by her boyfriend and whose call to 911 on January 12, 2005, was ignored, resulting in her paralysis from the waist down
Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver, a U.S. soldier who defused roadside bombs in Iraq and claims to be the main character in The Hurt Locker. Sarver's case was dismissed, and under California law, was required to pay the defendants' attorney fees of $187,000.
The family of Aiyana Jones, a 7-year-old girl who was shot during a police raid in 2010, conducted while a reality show was taping "The First 48."
A lawsuit against the Michigan State Police on behalf of the family of 64-year-old Jacqueline Nichols, a pedestrian who was killed when a cruiser crashed into her during a police chase in Flint on July 3, 2014. The state agreed to settle the suit for $7.7 million.
The family of Kenneka Jenkins, a 19-year-old girl who was found dead in a Rosemont, Illinois hotel freezer in 2017 after a night of partying.
Political career
1998 gubernatorial campaign
In 1998, Fieger ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Michigan. During the campaign Fieger made several inflammatory and controversial comments and statements, including
a claim that "rabbis are closer to Nazis than they think."
the observation that, "in 2,000 years we've probably made somebody who is the equivalent of Elvis into God, so I see no reason why not to believe that in 2,000 years Elvis will be God. Probably if we went back 2,000 years, and they said, you know, we think Jesus is God, and Jesus is just some goofball that got nailed to the cross."
a radio appearance characterizing Michigan appellate judges as "jackasses" for overturning a 15 million dollar medical malpractice judgment he had won.
Potential 2020 presidential campaign
In January 2017, Fieger began running a television advertisement indicating his intent to run for president in 2020.
Other activities
In 1997, Fieger donated four million dollars to the Detroit College of Law, now the Michigan State University College of Law, to start the nation's first trial practice institute for law students, which was named the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute. Fieger appeared as one of the attorneys on the reality TV series Power of Attorney, and was opposing counsel in an episode of NBC's The Law Firm.
Trial and acquittal
In August 2007, Fieger was indicted on federal campaign finance charges; the U.S. government alleged that Fieger had illegally funneled $127,000 to John Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign. Fieger was defended by famed defense attorney Gerry Spence, who announced this would be his last case. A jury acquitted Fieger of all 10 charges, and Fieger's co-defendant and law partner Ven Johnson on five charges, on June 2, 2008. Johnson stated that the charges were politically motivated.
